Ring buoy and method of making the same



March 12, 1968 J, HROBERTSON 3,372,411

RING BUOY AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. 21, 1966 z&@4. I

lNVE/VTOR 5 JA M55 H RosERrso/v ATraeA/Ey United States Patent Ofilice 3,372,411 Patented Mar. 12, l9i68 3,372,411 RING BUOY AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME James H. Robertson, 5238 Vineland Ave, North Hollywood, Calif. 91601 Filed Nov. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 595,705 5 Claims. (Cl. 9-311) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ring buoy and method of making the same in which the buoy comprises a ring formed of lightweight rigid material such as molded styrofoam, around the periphery of which a grabline is held by a plurality of spaced straps.

To prevent undesirable displacement of the straps and to provide manufacturing economies and structural benefits, a plurality of holding members have one end thereof securely held in place by being molded into the ring itself at the time the ring is formed. The other ends of the holding members project outwardly from the outer periphery of the ring and the straps and/or grabline are secured to the projecting ends of the holding members.

This invention relates to ring buoys and to a method for making the same.

My invention relates more particularly to a ring buoy of the type comprising a ring formed of lightweight rigid material such as molded Styrofoam, around the periphery of which a grabline or rope formed of polyethylene or other suitable material is held by a plurality of spaced straps.

At the present time, four straps are customarily spaced at 90 degree intervals around the circumference of the ring. Each of the straps forms a loop which extends around the ring, with its opposite ends being secured to the grabline. The grabline is substantially larger in circumference than the ring, so that the portions thereof which are disposed between the straps protrude a substantial distance outwardly beyond the periphery of the ring to make it easier for a swimmer to catch hold of the grabline and buoy.

The principal difficulty with this conventional structure is that the plastic straps tend to become displaced by sliding around the circumference of the ring and by twisting inwardly toward the center of the ring. Displacement of the straps in turn displaces the grabline, impairing the usefulness of the buoy for rescue purposes. The displacement of the straps also detracts from the appearance of the buoy when it is not in use, particularly if it is used as a poolside decoration.

It is the primary object of the present invention to overcome this problem by providing a new and improved ring buoy and method of making the same in which the straps and grabline are securely held in their proper positions around the circumference of the ring.

In essence, my invention contemplates a ring buoy and a method of making the same in which a plurality of holding members have one end thereof securely held in place by being molded into the ring itself at the time the ring is formed. The other ends of the holding members project outwardly from the outer periphery of the ring and the straps and/or grabline are secured to the projecting ends of the holding members.

With this structure, it is impossible for the straps or grabline to move any substantial distance along the circumference of the ring or to twist toward the center of the ring, because they are restrained by the holding members, which are in turn securely held by being molded into the ring itself.

It is accordingly among the objects of my invention to provide a ring buoy and method of making the same having all of the advantages and benefits of the structure and method set forth above and described in further detail hereinafter.

Another object of my invention is to provide such a ring buoy and method of making the same which are simple, economical and which provide better results than the ring buoys and methods now in use.

My invention also comprises such other objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by my invention.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Referring to the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a ring buoy constructed in accordance with my invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of one side of the ring buoy, partly broken away and shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the same, taken on line 33 of FIG. 2, showing the attachment of the tab and strap to the grabline;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the mold in open position, showing the bands in place prior to closing the mold.

One preferred embodiment of my ring buoy which has been selected to illustrate my invention comprises a ring 10, which may be formed of any suitable material, but which is preferably formed of molded polystyrene foam material.

The ring 10 is formed in a conventional two-part mold comprising a stationary lower part 11 and a vertically movable upper part 12, which have complementary cavities 13 and 14 which define the shape of the ring 10. Two circular inner rings 13a and,14a and two concentric circular outer rings 13b and 14b extend around the inner and outer edges of the cavities 13 and 14. A hydraulic piston or other suitable means is used to move the upper part 12 of the mold toward and away from the lower part 11.

At the beginning of a molding cycle, before the mold is closed, a plurality of elongated bands 15 are mounted radially across the lower part 11 of the mold. The bands 15 may be formed of canvas or other suitable material. The length of the bands 15 should be substantially greater than the width of the cavity 13, so that the opposite ends of the bands 15 extend beyond the inner and outer edges of the inner ring 13a and outer ring 13b which support the bands 15.

The ring 10 is then formed in a conventional manner, using conventional molding techniques which are well known to those skilled in the art. In the case of polystyrene foam material, this comprises inserting polystyrene beads within the mold and expanding the beads with heat and water to fill the cavities 13 and 14.

It will be noted that when the mold is closed by lowering the upper part 12 down upon the lower part 11, the rings 13a and 13b and 14a and 1% are brought into engagement with each other, with the adjacent portions of the bands 15 being held between them. If necessary or desirable, suitable grooves may be provided in one or both of the rings 13ab and 14ab in order to prevent the bands 15 from holding the mold parts 11 and 12 too far apart during the molding operation.

When the molding of the ring 10 is completed, the bands 15 extend radially through the ring 10 along its transverse axis. The ends of the bands 15 project outwardly from the inner and outer peripheries of the ring 10. The portions of the bands 15 which extend through the ring 10 are securely held by the material forming the ring 10 and become virtually an integral part of the ring 10.

The inner ends of the bands 15 are preferably cut off flush with the inner periphery of the ring 10. The outer ends of the bands may be cut, if necessary, leaving a plurality of tabs 16 projecting outwardly at spaced intervals around the outer periphery of the ring 10.

A plurality of elongated straps 17, which may be formed of saran or other suitable material, are looped around the ring 10 adjacent to the tabs 16. An elongated grabline 18, which may be formed of polyethylene or other suitable material, has a circumference substantially greater than that of the ring 10. The grabline 18 extends around the outer periphery of the ring 10. Both ends of the straps 17 are secured to the tabs 16 and to the adjacent portion of the grabline 18 by stitching or other suitable means.

One particularly secure method of attachment which is shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings comprises looping the tab 16 around the grabline 18 and then looping one end of the strap 17 over it. The other end of the strap 17 is doubled back upon itself and disposed adjacent the bottom of the grabline. Stitching is then passed through all of the assembled parts, with the stitching extending through the tab 16 both above and below the grabline 18, through the first mentioned end of the strap 17 both above and below the grabline 18, through the doubled other end of the strap 17 and through the grabline 18 itself.

It will be noted that the tabs 16 comprise holding members which are virtually an integral part of the ring 10. The tabs 16 cannot be removed from the ring 10 or moved any substantial distance along the periphery of the ring or twisted toward the center of the ring. The straps 17 and grabline 18 are accordingly held against undesirable movement around the periphery of the ring and also against undesirable twisting movement toward its center.

I claim:

1. The method of making a ring buoy of the type having a grabline extending around its outer periphery, said ring being formed in a mold having at least one ring-shaped cavity, said method comprising placing a plurality of flexible elongated bands so that a portion of each of said bands is disposed within said cavity prior to the molding of said ring, said bands extending substantially radially with respect to said cavity, the outer end of each of said bands extending substantially beyond the outer periphery of said cavity, molding said ring around said bands so that an inner portion of each of said bands is molded integrally within and securely held by said ring and the outer end of each of said bands projects outwardly a substantial distance from the outer periphery of said outer ring, securing said grabline to the projecting outer ends of said bands so that said grabline is held against movement around the periphery of said ring and against twisting movement toward the center of said ring, and looping the projecting outer end of each of said bands around said grabline, and securing said end to said grabline with stitching extending through said grabline and through said end on opposite sides of said grabline.

2. The method described in claim 1, and looping a strap around said ring adjacent to each of said bands, and securing both ends of each of said straps to said grabline and to the outer end of the adjacent band.

3. The method described in claim 2, and looping one end of each of said straps around said grabline, disposing the other end of each of said straps adjacent to said grabline, and securing said straps to said grabline with said stitching also extending through said looped end of said strap on both sides of said grabline and through said other end of said strap.

4. The method described in claim 3, and placing said bands so that the inner end of each of said bands extends beyond the inner periphery of said cavity, whereby a portion of the inner end of each of said bands extends beyond the periphery of said ring after said ring has been molded, and cutting off such portions substantially flush with the inner periphery of said ring, so that each of said bands extends across the entire width of said ring.

5. The method of making a ring buoy of the type having a grabline extending around its entire periphery, said ring being formed in a mold having at least one ringshaped cavity, said mold being divided along a horizontal line into an upper part and a lower part, said method comprising placing a plurality of flexible arcuate bands across the upper edge of the lower part of said mold, so that said bands overlie the inner and outer peripheral portions thereof when said mold parts are in open position, with a portion of each of said bands being disposed within said cavity prior to the molding of said ring, the outer end of each of said bands extending substantially beyond the outer periphery of said mold parts, closing said mold so that said bands are held between the peripheral portions of said mold parts during the molding of said ring, molding said ring around said bands so that an inner portion of each of said bands is molded integrally within and securely held by said ring and the outer end of said bands projects outwardly a substantial distance from the outer periphery of said ring, said bands extending transversely through the midportion of said ring after said ring is molded, and securing said grabline to the projecting outer ends of said bands, so that said grabline is held against movement around the periphery of said ring and against twisting movement toward the center of said ring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,205,514 11/1916 Carroll 9-340 2,950,489 8/1960 Pattison 9340 3,032,789 5/ 1962 Fedorowicz 9340 3,095,586 7/ 1963 Baier 9340 3,111,696 11/1963 To Lo 9340 3,137,015 6/1964 Lindeman 9-340 FOREIGN PATENTS 982,601 2/1965 Great Britain.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

T. W. BUCKMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

